Gas-producer.



Patented nec. 2, `|9o2,`.

J. RADCLIFFE.

GAS PRODUCER. (Appumm'n med Aug. 12. lbol.)

(No lAodeL No. 715,'l44. Patented nec. 2, |902'.

.1. RADCLIFFE. GAS PRODUCER.

(Application led Aug. 12, 1901.)

(No Model.)

NiEn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN RADCLIFFE, OF WREXHAM, ENGLAND.

GAS-PRODUCER.

SPECIFICATION part of Letters Patent No. 715,144, dated December 2, 1 902.

Application filed August 12, 1901. Serial No. 71,801. (No model.)

T0 @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN RADCLIFFE, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Vrexham, in the county of Denbigh,Vales,England,haveinvented Improvements in the Manufacture of Gas and in Apparatus Therefor, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to improvements in the manufacture of gas and in apparatus therefor. The apparatus is primarily designed as a gas-producing machine; but it can, with suitable modifications of the manner of working it, be used as a refuse-destructor and calciner. It is, however, hereinafter referred to as a gas-producer. A feature of such a gas-producer is that it can be used for converting into gas fuel having a high ash content-such as peat, celliery waste, or shaly coal and like material-and can also with advantage be used with ordinary fuel having an ordinary ash content.

The improved gas-producer comprises a chamber into which the fuel is introduced and from which leads the iiue forcarrying away the gas made, an inclined tubular chamber that extends from the first-mentioned chamber and which is mounted to revolve about its axis, and means for revolving such second chamber, which is hereinafter called for distinction the rotary chamber. The arrangement `is such that the fuel passes out of the upper chamber in a manner to be hereinafter described and descends the rotary chamber by means of the rotary motion imparted to itA by suitable means. During the downward passage through the rotary chamber the fuel meets with a blast of hot or cold air or airand steam, which converts the fuel into gas or destroys refuse, if the apparatus be used as a refuse-destructor, and if fed also with fuel accomplishes calcination. The resulting ash or calcined material on arriving at the bottom of the inclined rotary chamber falls into another chamber, hereinafter called the ashtrap.

In connection with the gas produced means are or may be provided for makingit selfiilling and also means for enabling fuel in the producer to be maintained at any desired height.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section showing a gas-producer according to this invention. Fig. 2 is a plan, and Fig. 3 a front view of part of such producer.

l is an upper chamber into which the fuel or other material to be treated is fed in a manner hereinafter described, and 2 is an inclined brick-lined tube,constituting the rotary chamber, which extends downward from the upper chamber and is mounted to be rotated about its axis by suitable means.

3 3 are upper and lower bearings in which the rotary chamber 2 is supported, and 4 is a fixed ash-bridge at the lower end of the said rotary chamber.

Fuel fed into the chamber l passes into the rotary chamber 2, down which it travels, as hereinbefore stated, and is burned, the ash or calcined material passing away over the ashbridge 4. This ash-bridge or obstruction can be built higher or lower, according to the depth of the passage required between the top of the fuel or material to be calcined and the top part of the rotary chamber. If the bridge is lower, the depth of the passage will be greater,and if the bridge is higher the depth of the passage will be less, while the passage can be more or less entirely closed by belling` or expanding the bottom of the rotary chamber and making the ash-bridge still higher.

5 is an ash-trap located at the forward side of the ash-bridge 4 and serving to receive the ashes that pass over such bridge.

The rotary tube 2 is inclined at such an angle that fuel or other material (hereinafter included in the Vterm fuel will readily pass into it from the chamber 1, but so that such fuel will not pass down it without being assisted by the rotating motion to which it is subjected, so that the fuel will only descend the rotary chamber when the latter is in motion and will be arrested at other times. In the example the rotary chamber 2 is shown inclined at an angle of about thirty'degrees; but this angle can be varied provided the two conditions hereinbefore mentioned be maintained. If a large quantity of ash or calcined material is required to pass over the ash-bridge 4 and into the ash trap or chamber 5, the rotary chamber 2 is rotated more quickly, and vice versa. The rotating motion of the chamber 2 is also utilized to feed ICO the producer with the fuel to be treated. For this purpose the upper part of the gasproducer is provided with two tubes 6 and 7, that are arranged telescopically one within the other, so that the lower one, 6, can be caused to slide on the upper one, '7, or the upper one, 7, can be caused to slide on the lower one, 6, the extent of the collapsing being made adjustable. The lower tube 6 is provided with double walls and is water-cooled, and its lower part is arranged to pass into the fuel-chamber l, from the lower part of which the inclined rotary chamber 2 extends. The upper tube 7 projects outside the producer, and its upper end is conveniently eX- panded to form a funnel or hopper into which the fuel to be treated is unloaded. The fuel falls into the chamber l and may at once pass into the rotary chamber 2, if the lower side of the upper end of this chamber lies underneath the feeding devices 6 7, as in the example shown. lf it be found more convenient to place the feeding device nearer to the opposite side of the fuel-chamber l, so that it is not directly over the rotary chamber 2, the fuel will not begin to fall into the latter chamber until a heap of it of sufficient dimensions has accumulated on the door of the fuel-chamber, after which it will begin to pass into the said rotary chamber. For convenient working, however, the feeding device is placed over the upper open end of the rotary chamber 2, as shown. The fuelwill continue to fall into the gas-producer through the feeding devices 6 7 until it rises in the fuel-chamber up to the lower end of the feeding-tube 6 and seals the said tube, when feeding will be discontinued. If then the rotary chamber 2 be rotated, combustion of the fuel being previously started by any suitable means, and a blast of cold or hot air or steam and air be supplied through a blast-pipe 8 at the front of the gas-producer, the process of gas production will begin. During the passage of the fuel down the rotary chamber 2 fresh surfaces of the fuel will be constantly exposed to the action of the blast, so that the fuel will be thoroughly burned. As the fuel descends the chamber 2, by reason of the rotary motion of such chamber, fresh fuel will fall out of the fuel-chamber to take its place, and consequently away from the lower end of the feeding-tube 6, from which fresh fuel will then falluntil it again becomes sealed by the fuel so admitted, this intermittent feeding action being continued so long as the rotary chamber2 is keptin motion, and the resulting ashes or burned material is or are discharged from the lower end thereof. In this way the feeding of fuel is made continuous and automatic.

The fuel-feeding device also admits of the fuel being maintained at any desired depth in the gas-producer, which is a very convenient and valuable feature, as it permits of adjustment according to the quality of the fuel being treated. This is effected by means of the collapsing arrangement provided for by making the tubes 6 and 7 slide one within the other. Thus if it is desired to maintain the fuel at a low depth in the fuel-chamber the tube 6 is pushed farther into this chamber, preferably after first allowing the material to sink lower in depth by discontinuing the feeding conveniently by means of a shutter which can be pushed into the tube 7 at any desired point, and then lowering the tube 7. It is, however, important when the apparatus is used for the manufacture or production of gas that the fuel should not be lowered to such an extent that the fuel in the fuel-chamber l ceases to completely close the mouth or upper end of the inclined rotary chamber 2. By lifting the feeding-tube 6 higher the upper end of the rotary chamber 2 can be closed by as great a depth of fuel as may be desired. In Fig. l the lower end of the feeding-tube 6 is shown at three different heights,the depth of the fuel (indicated by dotted lines) being of corresponding depths. In this way the depth of the fuel canL be readily adjusted to suit requirements.

The ash or calcined material passes over the ash-bridge 4 and escapes through the ashvent 9 between the blast-tube 8 and the ashbridge 4, and falls into the ash trap or chamber 5, in which it rises to such a height as to form a seal that will prevent the escape of air or air and steam from the tube 8 through the said ash-trap. The ash or calcined material is removed from the lower end of the ashtrap 5 through an opening 10. It may be by suitable automatic machinery. The said ash or calcin ed material may be removed at about the same rate as it falls into the ash-trap, so as to maintain the seal against the escape of air or air and steam.

11 is a gas outlet, passage, or flue which eX- tends from the fuel-chamber 1 and through which the gas or products of combustion, as the case may be, will escape from the upper part of the producer.

When making combustible gas from fuel from which onlya small amount of ash is produced, the ash-trap 5 may be sealed by water.

The blast of air or air and steam may be heated by any convenient means. The hot ashes or hot calcined material may in some cases be utilized for heating the blast of air or air and steam. For this purpose the rotary chamber 2 may be made long enough to allow the heat to be transferred to the blast before the ash falls into the trap 5.

The blast-pipe 8 is preferably inclined, as shown, so that the ash or calcined material will, as to the greater portion thereof, be discharged at the side of the ash-brid ge near the rising side of the rotary chamber.

What I claim is- 1. An apparatus of the character described comprising a stationary fuel-chamber provided With a gas-outlet, a feeding means within said chamber, a rotary inclined chamber in communication with the lower edge of said IOO IIO

fuel-chamber, a blast-pipe extending within the lower edge of said rotary chamber, and an air-tight trap adapted to receive the ashes from said rotary chamber, substantially as described.

2. An apparatus ofthe character described comprising a stationary fuel-chamber provided with a gas-outlet, a vertically-movable feeding-pipe within said chamber, a rotary inclined chamber in communication with the lower edge of said fuel-chamber, a blast-pipe extending within the lower edge of said rotary chamber, an air-tight trap adapted to receive the ashes from said rotary chamber, and an ash-bridge located between said rotary chamber and ash-trap, substantially as described.

3. An apparatus of the character described, 

